TR: 5/22-26/2013 [Feldtman Loop, Clockwise]

[JerryB]

My fourth trip to the Island and my second attempt at the Minong. Weather thwarted the first attempt and fear of conditions killed this one. So, my son, Paul, my old roommate, Don, and I took to the Feldtman loop--Island mine-Siskiwit-Feldtman Lake and Windigo.

I will provide a brief overview of the trip, a bit on food stops, our reasons for going clockwise, a note on equipment, and a report on then-current weather and conditions.

Overview of the trip: Is it just me, or is it always raining on the way up to Grand Portage, MN? Tuesday, May 21, was wet and cold. We still managed to stop at the Cascade River on Rte. 61. There is a great short hike there to the falls. The volume and power of the water was amazing! I highly recommend this stop.

Wednesday dawned clear, chilly and a little choppy. The Voyager II crew cautioned us to take dramamine, but the trip over was not too bad after all. After our Ranger chat at Windigo, we headed uphill to Island Mine. This was a harder day than we really expected, but was certainly manageable. Most of the hike is a fairly steady uphill climb. The trees had not leafed out, so the Greenstone offered us a few more vistas than we would normally get. But, as those who have done this know, this is not the most exciting section of trail. Along the way, the signs of over 900 moose on the island were plain for us to see, and step in. We also saw quite a few wolf tracks, far more than I expected from 8 or 9 wolves.

By early afternoon, we were at Island Mine, one of three groups there. In my view, Island Mine gets a bum rap. It is the only campsite on the island which is not on a body of water. And that is a drawback. But it is a nice backwoods site, perched on a small hill. The sites are all pretty good and individual campfires are permitted there. Given the weather, this was a huge plus. I do think that Island Mine shines in the Spring. Without leaves on the trees, the sites are not as closed in. Also, the creek (the water source) was running high and strong (not always the case in my experience). Dinner, a cold night of sleeping (more on the weather in general later in the report), breakfast, and we were off.

Thursday took us downhill to Siskiwit. Along the way, we searched for the old mine, supposedly on the west side of the trail. We never found that, but we did find the old locomotive. About a third of a mile or less up the trail from the dry well, there is a fairly wide trail that branches off to the left (going downhill). From here, a hiker can see several large piles of mine tailings. The side trail is very short. Take a quick walk and climb up the mound (maybe 15 feet tall) and you will see the old locomotive. It is quite the sight and worth a diversion from the hike. Back on the trail, you will quickly come to a fenced in old well. Interesting, easily visible from the trail, but it will not divert you for long. Keep going and you will come to Lake Superior, where the trail continues on to camp. The trail tracks along the lake for a while and here was the only tricky (slightly tricky) water crossing we experienced. A fairly large creek discharges to the lake. I believe there was once a log bridge over the creek directly in line with the trail. That is long gone and the creek far too wide to cross at the trail. A short turn to the beach brought us to the outflow of the creek. This was surprisingly deep, three feet or so. Just when we were preparing to wade into the cold water, we saw two logs over the outflow. By sidestepping on one while holding the higher log, we crab walked across and stayed dry.

Siskiwit is a great campsite. We had one of several shelters, but the tent sites are nice too. The tent sites are across the trail from the lake but offer ready lake access. A community fire ring kept us a bit warmer that evening. We hung a tarp across the screen of the shelter to offer some protection from the cold. Without that, a tent is a far better option in cold weather.

Friday and off to Feldtman Lake. This is one of my favorite hiking sections on the island. For significant portions, hikers enjoy great views from ridges. At one point, we could see most of the trail we were taking, from the Greenstone to Siskiwit and up towards Windigo. There are a lot of ups and downs, as there are everywhere, but the views more than compensate. Going clockwise, we approached a waterfall and the trail switchbacks up over the falls. It is not hard to find the route, but the trail is a bit less obvious when approaching from this direction. It was in the woods that we saw a cow and a calf moose. Huge. Credit goes to Don for spotting them. My fourth trip and my first moose sighting. I was beginning to think it was me!

We met several hikers who warned us about the camp at Feldtman. Apparently, the night before we got there, an unrelenting lake wind battered the campsites. Not only did it chill the campers, it made it difficult to filter water from the lake. Our luck held out and the wind was fairly calm when we made it to the campsite. We took the second site we came across (again, we went clockwise). It is spacious, with one half fairly well sheltered, and some decent built in benches created by tree roots. The second half is open to the lake and offers great access.

That afternoon, we took the 0.8 mile hike to Rainbow Cove, another worthy side trip. The cove offers a very wide and long red pebble beach. Quite chilly when we were there, so we did not tarry for long.

Saturday was our last day of hiking and we marched off to Windigo. A fairly long trip, but we made far faster progress than I thought, so it seemed shorter than it was. There is a large creek with a sturdy brigde about half way. We stopped there for lunch. From there, we had about another two hours to Windigo. I did not recall the stunning ridge views, so that was quite a nice surprise. You will know you are getting close when the trail hits Lake Superior. You follow the lake for the rest of the way and will be able to see the dock.

We stayed at a shelter at the Washington Creek (Windigo) campsite. That night, the woman at the shelter next to us waived us over to see a beaver on the creek shore. The next monrning, I had a chance for a longer chat with her. She was Carolyn Peterson, Rolf's wife. (Rolf is the lead researcher on the wolf/moose study.) The crew of moose volunteers was on the island and Carolyn had six days to "play" before they came back. A very interesting and charming woman.

Sunday brought the Voyager back for a smooth ride home.

Non-Backpacking Food: The only thing we missed was that the Windigo store was closed. One of their frozen pizzas would have been most welcome! Speaking of food, on the way up to Grand Portage, we stopped for dinner at the Angry Trout in Grand Marais. Great fresh and smoked fish. On the way home, we stopped at Sisters ("My Favorite Sister"?), again in Grand Marais for a very hearty hamburger. (Mine was stuffed with bleu cheese and bacon.) I recommend both very much.

Clockwise???--Most people take this route counter clockwise, so the last day to Windigo is down hill and very easy. This is valid and is enough reason to follow that direction, IF you do not plan to stay at Island Mine. We were spending a night there. We were also concerned about trails being rivers of mud. We thought down hill to Siskiwit would be far easier if conditions were bad. We also recalled the Feldtman-Windigo section as beeing fairly mud-prone and this approach allowed that leg a few more days to dry off. Mud was not an issue, but I still commend a clockwise approach. The initial uphill to Island Mine is steady and moderate and we avoided the steep uphill from Siskiwit to Island Mine. Thanks to Jerry form the forum who first mentioned the clockwise option to me several years ago.

A note on equipment: Despite ribbing from Paul and Don, I used this trip to go light (not ultra light). My pack, with food, but without water, weighed in at 23 pounds. And, yes, I carried my share of the group gear, including a tent! The other guys each weighed in at around 36 pounds. My pack was a Gossamer Mariposa, with the optional air frame. It worked great. It was plenty big and pretty comfortable. I like the air frame, which is really a pad on the back of the pack. A hand pump allows adjustment. For a tent, this was the first extended use of my Big Agnes Scout UL2. At about a pound and a half, it was great! While a two person tent, we used it as a solo tent, with plenty of extra space. No poles, so the tent is supported by hiking sticks. Our filter was an MSR gravity folter. We fill up a "dirty" bag with up to four liters of water. Hang the bag and gravity drives the water through the filter where you use it as needed. It is sure much easier than puming water into Nalgene bottles. I also used this trip as an opportunity to play around with an alcohol stove, as a back up stove. I took an empty tin of cat food, punched holes around the perimeter and used that as the stove and the stand. It worked as planned, but it burns stronger in warmer weather.

Weather and Conditions: We were only the second group to make it to the west end of the island. Although we saw a few patches of snow, they were only a curiosity and never an obstacle. Every day was bright and sunny, probably in the upper fities or so. But nights were cold. We had no frozen water, but it must have reached freezing. Credit goes to Don who used an old puffy as a wrap for his feet in the sleeping bag. It helped. Even though my bag was warm enough, staying snugged in, with everything arranged as needed does not make for restful nights. Trail conditions were surprisingly good. No more mud than at any other time I have been on the island. There were quite a few tree blowdowns that we needed to go over, under or around and there had been no trail maintainance yet. Best news of all---I saw a single mosquito the whole trip and I promise you he is no longer around to bother you.

[NancyT]

Great trip report. Thanks for sharing. My first trip to the island was the Feldtman Loop Counterclockwise. I agree about Island Mine getting a bum rap, it's one of my favorites for the "back country" feel.
On our Greenstone Ridge trip, we stayed there again. I LOVE that there are fire rings at all sites. It's saved me a few times.
Mike and I both use the Gossamer G4 when backpacking. Mike colaborated with Glenn when he first started making them. Awesome gear!

[zims]

Awesome trip report!! Its what I have been waiting for, something possitive! We will be there Saturday to visit McCargo to chippewa. Glad you ahd a good trip!

[hooky]

Nice report. Do you think you'd move to an alcohol stove full time in warmer weather?

[JerryB]

Thanks. I think the issue of alcohol stoves could form a whole new thread in another area, but here is my answer:

I will not switch exclusively to an alcohol stove, even in warmer weather. The primary reason is I boil too much water, with the result that I would need to carry too much fuel. If I am going to carry that much fuel, I would stay with white gas and the advantages that offers. I personally would never consider an alcohol stove if I did any real cooking, but I limit myself to rehydrating food and making coffee. All that said, I love the use of an alcohol stove as a back up or auxiliary stove. I suppose if I was going out for a day or two, it would also be fine as my only stove. But, as I used it, the alcohol stove provided peace of mind in case I had a problem with my "real" stove or ran out of fuel. It certainly extended my fuel supply. I also had some fuel pellets as a fire starter and I could have placed one of them in my home made alcohol stove. That meant I had my primary stove, alcohol and a few fuel pellets with the last serving as a firestarter.

I know there are others who swear by alcohol stoves for all purposes and I am not suggesting they are wrong; it just is not my choice. (Another fun option is a twig stove.)

[Tom]

Thanks for the TR, JerryB! I'm getting excited for my own trip coming up in a little over a week.

I've come to conclude, based on the frequency you note, that a little drizzle rain while waiting on the dock for the boat to depart seems to be a sign of good luck - And very much the norm, it would seem.
I'll also agree that in the right conditions (especially when the maples are in fall color) that Island Mine can be spectacular. In the middle of summer with no breeze (and thus more bugs) it tends to get it's reputation.

[NancyT]

I'll also agree that in the right conditions (especially when the maples are in fall color) that Island Mine can be spectacular. In the middle of summer with no breeze (and thus more bugs) it tends to get it's reputation.

I seem to forget things like that since we always go on the first and last boat.
Nothing is ever open when we are there and bugs are very rarely a problem.

[fonixmunkee]

Thanks for the trip report...Siskiwit & Feldtmann are a few of my favorite spots on the island. So reading your trip report allowed me to relive the time I've had there.

I've hiked the Feldtmann both directions, and I am hard-pressed to find a benefit for either direction.

Also, nice job on the pack size! Lightweight packing is truly an artform, and it can make a big difference on how much fun you have on your trek.

[jerry]

JerryB, Enjoyed your trip report (wish I'd been with you three), thanks! I remember our rainy hike out to the falls at Grand Portage St. Park with your son and our one delay to ISRO two years ago. I think you're the only one that agrees with me on the clockwise trip. Hiking up the ridge from Feldtman I feel is harder then going down. When I hiked from Siskiwit toward the fire tower the thimbleberry bushes had growth to above my head in spots and I had to look down at my feet to make sure I was on the trail. The falls that you spoke of had dried up. I hope I can get a trip in myself this year. jerry
p.s. Maybe Tom will comment about jerry talking to jerry again.

[Rafiki]

Siskiwit is a great campsite. We had one of several shelters, but the tent sites are nice too.

So not to confuse other readers, I would not suggest their are several shelters at Siskiwit. There are only two. However, with that aside, sorry to hear that the Minong did not pan out for you this trip. It can be a tricky hike at the beginning of the season, especially if there are goshawks on the prowl, so I don't blame you.

I agree, Island Mine gets a bad wrap. If it had a reliable water source, I believe people would think better of it. In terms of doing the Feldtmann Loop clockwise or counter-clockwise, I think Fonix nailed it, doesn't seem like it would make much of a difference. Although most people I know swear by doing it counter-clockwise. To each his or her own I guess.